Acting
Maxine Peake
Born 1974-07-14
Westhoughton, Lancashire, England, UK
Department: Acting
Biography
Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English stage, radio, film and television actress, playwright, producer, director and political activist, who made her name as Twinkle in Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies. She has since played Veronica in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless, barrister Martha Costello in the BBC legal drama Silk and Grace Middleton in The Village. She is also an accomplished stage actress, having played the title role in Hamlet, and had a role in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything. In 2018 she played the lead in the film Funny Cow and had a starring role in Mike Leigh's epic Peterloo, a film very close to her heart.
Known For
Prominent works featuring Maxine Peake
Movie
Quick View
The Theory of Everything
2014
TMDB3.9
TV
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Black Mirror
2011
TMDB4.2
TV
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The Graham Norton Show
2007
TMDB3.6
Movie
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I Swear
2025
TMDB4.2
TV
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Star Wars: Visions
2021
TMDB3.5
TV
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Last Seen
2026
TMDB4.3
TV
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Shameless
2004
TMDB3.8
Movie
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Wendell & Wild
2022
TMDB3.3
TV
Quick View
Inside No. 9
2014
TMDB4.0
TV
Quick View
The One Show
2006
TMDB2.2
Filmography & Credits
Complete career catalog (128 titles)
| Poster | Title | Character / Role | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Last Seen | Jenna Reid | TV Series | 2026 |
 | Bait | Helen | TV Series | 2026 |
 | Becoming Victoria Wood | Self | Movie | 2026 |
 | Laundreams | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2025 |
 | The Occupant of the Room | The Englishwoman (voice) | Movie | 2025 |
 | Irvine Welsh: Reality Is Not Enough | Narrator | Movie | 2025 |
 | I Swear | Dottie | Movie | 2025 |
 | Quiet on Set: The Class Division in the Film Industry? | Self | Movie | 2025 |
 | Words of War | Anna Politkovskaya | Movie | 2025 |
 | The Haunted Season | The Englishwoman (voice) | TV Series | 2024 |
 | Say Nothing | Older Dolours Price | TV Series | 2024 |
 | Art Matters | Self | Movie | 2024 |
 | Woken | Helen | Movie | 2024 |
 | Secret Life of the Safari Park | Narrator | TV Series | 2024 |
 | Tish | Tish Murtha (voice) | Movie | 2023 |
 | Dance First | Barbara | Movie | 2023 |
 | Choked Up | Fiona Lacey | Movie | 2023 |
 | Wendell & Wild | Irmgard Klaxon (voice) | Movie | 2022 |
| Inner Polar Bear | Narrator (voice) | Movie | 2022 | |
 | Lapushka! | Scoot Piccolo | Movie | 2022 |
 | Something Out of Nothing | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2022 |
 | Incompatible | Director | Movie | 2022 |
 | Art That Made Us | Self - Actrice (Rules of the Game, Anne) | TV Series | 2022 |
 | Rules of the Game | Sam Thompson | TV Series | 2022 |
 | The Real Anne: Unfinished Business | Self- Presenter | Movie | 2022 |
 | Anne | Anne Williams | TV Series | 2022 |
 | Where We Used to Meet | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2021 |
 | Star Wars: Visions | Kalina Kalfus (voice) | TV Series | 2021 |
 | Doughnut | Thanks | Movie | 2021 |
 | Mandy | Susan Blower | TV Series | 2020 |
 | Alan Bennett's Talking Heads | Miss Fozzard | TV Series | 2020 |
 | Surfaces | Alix | Movie | 2020 |
 | The Great Mountain Sheep Gather | Self - Narrator | Movie | 2020 |
 | It's Me | Miriam | Movie | 2020 |
 | Fanny Lye Deliver'd | Fanny Lye | Movie | 2019 |
| Be Still My Beating Heart | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2019 | |
 | Judy | Judy | Movie | 2019 |
 | Peterloo | Nellie | Movie | 2018 |
 | The Bisexual | Sadie | TV Series | 2018 |
 | The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca | Self | Movie | 2018 |
| The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca | Director | Movie | 2018 |
| The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca | Producer | Movie | 2018 |
 | Gwen | Elen | Movie | 2018 |
 | Ceremony: The Return of Friedrich Engels | Friedrich Engels (voice) | Movie | 2018 |
 | Funny Cow | Funny Cow | Movie | 2018 |
| Funny Cow | Executive Producer | Movie | 2018 |
 | Dinnerladies Diaries | Self | TV Series | 2018 |
 | The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2018 |
 | Wonders of the Moon | Narrator (voice) | Movie | 2018 |
 | The Priest | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2017 |
| The Priest | Writer | Movie | 2017 |
 | Men Who Sleep in Cars | Sarah | Movie | 2017 |
 | Cake | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2017 |
 | Unseen | Emma | Movie | 2017 |
 | Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle | Narrator | Movie | 2017 |
 | Three Girls | Sara Rowbotham | TV Series | 2017 |
 | Bunch of Kunst - A Film About Sleaford Mods | Self (archive footage) | Movie | 2017 |
 | We Have Been Watching | Self | TV Series | 2017 |
 | Generation '66 | Narrator | Movie | 2016 |
 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Titania | Movie | 2016 |
 | Red Top | Rebekah Brooks | Movie | 2016 |
 | I Wish For You | Grown Up Mia | Movie | 2016 |
 | The Falling | Eileen Lamont | Movie | 2015 |
 | Hamlet | Hamlet | Movie | 2015 |
| Artsnight | Self - Presenter | TV Series | 2015 | |
 | Strange Weather | Jane | Movie | 2015 |
 | The Shuttleworths | Helen Bach | Movie | 2015 |
 | The Theory of Everything | Elaine Mason | Movie | 2014 |
 | Keeping Rosy | Charlotte | Movie | 2014 |
 | Inside No. 9 | Nadia | TV Series | 2014 |
 | Run & Jump | Vanetia | Movie | 2014 |
 | Keeping Up with the Joneses | Celia | Movie | 2013 |
 | Svengali | Angie | Movie | 2013 |
 | The Village | Grace Middleton | TV Series | 2013 |
| The Heart Fails Without Warning | Mother | Movie | 2013 | |
 | Private Peaceful | Hazel Peaceful | Movie | 2012 |
 | Room at the Top | Alice Aisgill | TV Series | 2012 |
 | The Hollow Crown | Doll Tearsheet | TV Series | 2012 |
 | Best Laid Plans | Isabel | Movie | 2012 |
 | DeafBlind | Maggie | Movie | 2011 |
 | Black Mirror | Bella | TV Series | 2011 |
 | Silk | Martha Costello QC | TV Series | 2011 |
 | Edge | Elly | Movie | 2010 |
| Imaginary Friend | Pauline | Movie | 2010 | |
 | The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister | Anne Lister | Movie | 2010 |
 | Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980 | Helen Marshall | Movie | 2009 |
 | Red Riding | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 2009 |
 | The Devil's Whore | Elizabeth Lilburne | TV Series | 2008 |
 | Little Dorrit | Miss Wade | TV Series | 2008 |
 | Clubbed | Angela | Movie | 2008 |
 | Criminal Justice | Juliet Miller | TV Series | 2008 |
 | Hancock & Joan | Joan Le Mesurier | Movie | 2008 |
 | Fairy Tales | Cindy Mellor | TV Series | 2008 |
 | Bike Squad | WPC Kate McFay | Movie | 2008 |
| The Alan Titchmarsh Show | Self | TV Series | 2007 | |
| Would Like To Meet | George's Mum | Movie | 2007 | |
| I Am Bob | Marilyn Monroe Lookalike/Compere's Assistant | Movie | 2007 | |
| Confessions of a Diary Secretary | Tracey Temple | Movie | 2007 | |
 | The Graham Norton Show | Self | TV Series | 2007 |
 | The 50 Greatest Television Dramas | Self | Movie | 2007 |
 | The One Show | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2006 |
 | See No Evil: The Moors Murders | Myra Hindley | TV Series | 2006 |
 | The Street | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 2006 |
| The Madness of the Dance | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2006 | |
 | The Fear of Trilogy | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2006 |
 | Frozen | Ticket Attendant | Movie | 2005 |
 | Faith | Linda | Movie | 2005 |
 | Christmas Lights | Pauline | Movie | 2004 |
 | Shameless | Veronica Fisher | TV Series | 2004 |
 | Comedy Connections | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 2003 |
 | Early Doors | Janice | TV Series | 2003 |
 | All or Nothing | Party girl | Movie | 2002 |
 | Timeshift | Self - Narrator | TV Series | 2002 |
 | Hamilton Mattress | Lulu (voice) | Movie | 2002 |
 | Linda Green | Receptionist | TV Series | 2001 |
 | Messiah | DS Vickie Clarke | TV Series | 2001 |
 | Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings | Self | Movie | 2000 |
 | Clocking Off | Marie Leach | TV Series | 2000 |
 | At Home with the Braithwaites | Trixie Fletcher | TV Series | 2000 |
 | Sunburn | Sue | TV Series | 1999 |
 | dinnerladies | Twinkle | TV Series | 1998 |
 | Girls' Night | Sharon | Movie | 1998 |
 | Jonathan Creek | Marion Cretiss | TV Series | 1997 |
 | Dalziel and Pascoe | Dr Allison Laurie | TV Series | 1996 |
 | Hetty Wainthropp Investigates | Photocopy Assistant | TV Series | 1996 |
 | ChuckleVision | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 1987 |
| The Bright Side Running Club | Self / Appearance | Movie | — | |
| First Day on Earth | Helen | TV Series | — |